The Devil’s Cage

Kill?!

Smith’s breath became hurried.

He wasn’t stupid, he knew what Kieran meant the moment those words escaped his mouth.

Removing the threat before it could threaten anyone.

Eliminating the enemies before they strike.

No doubt it was the best way to deal with danger, but strength-wise…

Smith had a precise estimation of himself. Maybe against humans, he could rely on his gifts from the Blood Kin side to acquire huge advantages, he could even easily defeat some Blood Kin who had less powerful gifts. However, if he were to face a true Blood Kin with natural gifts, he couldn’t even withstand a blow, let alone those Blood Kin with the title of Count.

But if he stayed idle and didn’t do anything, and the incident that Kieran mentioned happened again, what should he do then?

Begging for someone else’s help again?

Even if others were willing to keep helping him, who could guarantee the safety of the people he cared under those ever-changing circumstances?

More so…

Smith unconsciously turned towards the little girls who were eating silently.

His hesitant eyes turned firm.

One horrifying experience was enough, he certainly didn’t want the girls to go through it a second time.

“I understand.” Smith nodded slightly.

“No, you don’t,” Kieran shook his head. He passed a ball of paper that he prepared for Smith.

“There is something useful to you written inside. As for what you are going to do? That is your business.” Kieran then ended the conversation one-sidedly.

He didn’t speak another word to Smith after that. He watched Smith take care of the girls and send them to rest in the rooms upstairs.

Kieran knew there was no need for him to say anything else.

Smith being a hybrid had determined his loner nature, and his loner nature had determined his thirst for communication and warmth. When this ‘warmth’ appeared in his life, he would protect it with all his effort, even by risking his life.

Some things were determined from the start.

Similar to how the plan of the mastermind was disrupted by Kieran’s entrance.

The mastermind’s plan was so tight that until now, Kieran didn’t know what ‘he’ as the ‘snitch’ stole, neither did he have any idea towards the mastermind’s goal.

However, the chaotic situation of Eiders at night told Kieran he must do something—

Restore the order of Eiders at night!

Whatever the mastermind wanted, Kieran would ruin it. It was the simplest, most straightforward way to deal with the situation.

The only thing he needed to consider was whether the chaotic nights in Eiders was a smokescreen released by the mastermind or not.

Therefore, Kieran needed a helper, and Smith, with his special natural gifts, was a decent candidate.

…

The night brought darkness, it allowed the Blood Kins to move faster and be more secretive.

Each one of them hid in the shadows, sizing up everything on Aemon Street with their red eyes but none dared to get near the destroyed street.

Other than the Spec Ops members on guarding duty on the street, the scene before the Blood Kins’ eyes was too shocking.

A single blow!

A single blow and the Monster Hunter destroyed an entire street! Even for the non-human Blood Kins, they couldn’t accept the fact.

They were robust, alright, but not to this ridiculous scale.

Therefore, every Blood Kin approached the area with the utmost care.

In fact, if it weren’t for the damn orders from the ruler of the house, they wouldn’t even get close to this place. All of them hoped that they could run as far as possible from the destroyed street.

Fortunately, the orders they received were just checking on Aemon Street’s current situation, not investigating the street in detail.

Otherwise, even with the orders from the rulers, they would run without a second thought, throwing the house behind them.

They didn’t want to die, but reality would never bend towards anyone’s wishes.

For humans, and for Blood Kins.

A Blood Kin who was sticking its head out from the shadows didn’t notice Smith was approaching. When it tried to size up the distribution of Spec Ops members, Smith covered its mouth with his left hand and sliced its throat with the dagger in his other hand.

Blood Kins were nearly immortal in the eyes of a commoner, but the term ‘nearly’ said as much.

Blood Kins had weaknesses as well.

Their hearts and throats were their most significant weak points, and as half a Blood Kin, Smith knew it very well.

But compared to a stab to the heart, Smith preferred to slice throats because there might be a chance that the Blood Kin’s heart was on its right instead of the left, like humans. Having their heart on the right was rare for humans but not so unusual for Blood Kins.

Of course, more importantly, when the dagger slit the throat, Smith could absorb all the blood before it even gushed out, with none left in the Blood Kin’s body.

At the same time, some spices appeared in Smith’s hand.

As the night breeze blew, the spices were carried around in the air, and they effectively covered the stench of blood.

Around three seconds later, the Blood Kin in Smith’s hand was turned into a dried corpse. He endured the disgust and extreme discomfort in his heart, he tried to savor the feeling of his body growing stronger.

He wanted to adapt to the changes as fast as possible!

For Saya! For children like Saya!

As the thought grew in his heart, Smith carefully bagged the dried corpse into the gunny sack he brought and placed it in the shadowy corner.

According to the ball of paper, Smith had to bring away all the bodies of his prey.

It was for his own safety and for the children.

If it was possible for him, his gift that allowed him to absorb other Blood Kins’ blood to enhance himself should be kept a secret from anyone unrelated. Otherwise, he would face the endless pursuit from the rest of the Blood Kin.

Once that terrible thought painted a picture in his mind, Smith moved even more carefully.

A second one!

A third one!

…

By the time he loaded all the gunny sacks that he brought, the Blood Kins that were watching Aemon Street were wiped out. Smith then started to transport the bodies in the gunny sacks.

Smith didn’t look any different after that, his body was still as thin and lean, but his strength and speed had multiplied more than once!

With the extra power-up, even if he were to transport the heavy bodies, Smith could skillfully handle it with ease.

He quickly slipped past the Spec Ops members.

However, every move that Smith took throughout the process appeared in Kieran’s sight.

Watching Smith’s careful and vigilant actions, Kieran nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he slowly moved into the shadows.

Since his helper moved, how could ‘he’ not?

A moment later, a cold, arrogant looking ‘D’ walked out from the shadow.

A closer look at his face revealed the helplessness in ‘D”s eyes.

But no matter how helpless ‘D’ looked, with the restrictions of the contract, it still had to carry out missions according to Kieran’s order, even though the tasks were dangerous as usual.